Book Three: The White Haired Prophecy
by Fuujin Angel Triplets
Summary: Harry once again must face Voldemort. But this time he has some help. From the most unlikely of sources. Note: This is a re-written version of book three.
1. Return to Hogwarts

Book Three-The White Haired Prophecy  
By Fuujin Kushikaze, Death's Angel  
Beta Read by Katameran  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Disclaimers: I do not own Harry Potter.  
  
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Maia sat near the window, her cat in her lap, staring out the window. Who'd have guessed she was a witch? There she was, in an orphanage for most of her life, and she was a witch? She scratched the cat behind its ears. Not to mention she was now a Slytherin. Slytherin... even the name sounded slimy.   
  
She looked up at the sound of the door to the car opening. It was a pale skinned boy flanked by two much larger, though stupid looking, guys. She rolled her eyes. What a welcoming committee.   
  
"What house are you in?" His voice drawled and she resisted the urge to slap him. Everything about him got on her nerves.   
  
"Slytherin." She looked back out the window.   
  
"What a coincidence, so are we. I guess we're all part of one big happy family..." She didn't like that glare he had in his eyes. He obviously didn't like her showing up as a third year without offering some sort of explanation.   
  
"Yes, isn't it? I thought though, that Slytherins were a proud group... I guess whoever told me that was wrong. You can't be that proud if you have those two goons everywhere you go." She rolled her eyes again and smiled when the train stopped. "Now, if you'll excuse me, you're in my way." She shoved past them and off the train not really caring what he had to say to her.   
  
A sneer found its way to Severus Snape's gnarled features as he moved with almost unnatural grace towards Platform 9 and 3/4. He had been asked to go pick up the third year students, making sure they didn't use any of the magic they had learned in their two years at the magical school against one another. And while the dark-haired Potions Master knew exactly what he had to do, he didn't understand why; since when did faculty at Hogwarts get reduced to such menial tasks?   
  
Pushing briskly past a pack of first years that were looking around like frightened puppies, Snape offered each one of them a furious glance. If there was one thing he hated more than what he was currently assigned to, it was first years - they always managed to botch things in his class. At least third years knew better then that... Though as his cold gaze caught sight of Draco Malfoy, he quickly reminded himself that most of them were above that, but not all.   
  
"Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, his voice without emotion, "I'm glad to see you back with us."   
  
A forced smile from the blonde-haired boy. "Glad to be back professor."   
  
For a moment, the Potions Master was silent as he regarded Malfoy and his companions with something that was near disdain. But when he caught sight of Maia - who happened to be standing near Malfoy, only because he had followed her in an attempt to say something nasty to her in return - he froze. Who was she? Another one of the Slytherin boy's companions? No…she didn't look nearly stupid enough.  
  
"Care to introduce me to your new companion, Mr. Malfoy?"   
  
"Huh?" It was then that Draco realized that the head of the Slytherin house meant Maia. "Oh, her? She's um..."   
  
"It's Maia, Malfoy." Her tone was nasty to Draco, then she growled. "And I most certainly not am one of his new companions. I wouldn't be in his presence now except for the fact that he seemed to be jealous that my cat was the only one getting my attention." At the mention of it, the cat jumped onto her shoulder, just below her left ear and made a little swipe at Draco.   
  
Malfoy avoided the cat's swipe, but barely. And when he had regained his composure, he offered Maia a sneer. Then, turning his attention back to Snape, the blonde-haired man replied, "Maia, Professor."  
  
"I can hear, Mr. Malfoy," Snape responded, a smirk settling on his face - he enjoyed watching the son of his Death-Eater companion put in his place. "And do you have a last name? Or is your future Potions Professor going to be required to call you by your first?"   
  
Maia smiled sweetly at the Professor. "I would prefer it if you called me by my first, but if you must know, it's Maia Cooper." She glared at Malfoy, "But let me warn you now, if you so much as ever bother me again, Mr. Malfoy, I'll have to show you just how wicked I can be." She smirked at him, then reached up to touch the cat on her shoulder. "If I may leave now, Professor?"   
  
"I'm afraid not, Ms. Cooper. You see, I've been sent down here to take the third years to Hogwarts. So I suppose you'll be required to follow me, hmm?" Snape asked, looking rather annoyed that he had been forced into this job. Then, raising his voice above the din of the crowd, he shouted, "Third years, please follow me... and keep your spells to yourself."   
  
Then turning, Snape slid away as gracefully as he had come, not bothering to see if any of the third years were following.   
  
She glared at him briefly, then pulled her extremely light trunk along as she followed him.   
  
"You know, Crabbe or Goyle would carry that for you..." Malfoy slid up next to her and she glared at him.   
  
"I'd prefer it if they kept their grubby hands to themselves and if you would learn to hold your tongue." She stomped on his foot then, and walked on, a trace of a smile on her face.   
  
Malfoy cried out in pain and when he had composed himself Maia was far away, swept up in the crowd of third years that had followed Snape. But far from her or not, the blonde-haired boy was still furious. Calling after her as loud as he could, he said, "You'll pay for that Cooper! You've just made a powerful enemy!"   
  
Maia heard him and she snickered. "No, Malfoy, you've just met your worst nightmare, that's all," she whispered. She glanced up and smiled at the sight of Hogwarts. She would be here for how long? Another four years not counting her summer vacations? "Wow..." It was magnificent. She stopped walking for a moment, then realized she was getting closer to Malfoy and she took off at a fast walk to catch up with Snape.   
  
Malfoy glared at where he suspected she was. He couldn't see her at all, but he knew he hated her. From her white hair down to the hem of her robes, every bone in his body hated her. He didn't have much time to ponder this however, because the entire group had stopped at the front door.   
  
Pushing the front doors open effortlessly, Snape turned to the crowed and sneered. "Welcome back third years. You know the general idea of what happens next, though if you don't... or have chosen to forget, allow me to refresh your memory. We will enter the castle, and you will immediately take your places at your house table, then the Sorting Ceremony will begin. Do not worry about your luggage, it will be taken to your rooms by house-elves. And do not use any magic during the Ceremony. It'd be best to leave your childish pranks to later this year, if not at all."   
  
Then entering the hall, the black-clad Potions Master immediately took his place at the faculty table, and offered anyone who looked in his direction a disheartening, sardonic smile.   
  
Maia let one of the house-elves take her trunk, but her cat wouldn't go. She tried for a few moments, then Malfoy came up. He 'accidentally' pushed her into one of the trunks while she worked on getting the cat off of her shoulder. She jumped up immediately and glared at him. The smile on his face made her uneasy, but she wasn't about to let him know that. Her cat flew off of her shoulder and began to attack Malfoy, and she called it off after a second of 'shock'.   
  
She took the cat and moved to the Slytherin table. Unfortunately, she was forced to sit between Malfoy and the Bloody Baron. She let the cat back on her shoulder, this time where it could glare and Malfoy and she snickered at the slightly nervous expression he wore.   
  
And as Snape had predicted, the Sorting Ceremony took place only moments later, starting with the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, announcing what parts of the school were off limits. Like most years, the forest outside the school was forbidden, though this year the curfew had been lengthened from nine to ten for most students, and midnight for prefects. Then Dumbledore offered the student body a selection of nonsense words, which he had done every year, and which the Potions Master had failed to find a point in. Finally Minerva McGonagall stepped up, with a scroll, an ancient looking hat, and a stern glance that rivaled Snape's sneer in the power to silence students. The Professor of Transfiguration went through the yearly lecture about the importance of the ceremony, and then she got it underway by calling out each student's names one by one.   
  
Within a half an hour, the entire first year population had been sorted, and Snape was looking rather unhappy with the group he had ended up with this year - they all looked incredibly slow-witted. Oh, well. It wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter... and if he had, Draco Malfoy certainly wouldn't have been in his house. Frowning deeply, the dark-haired male reached for a roll that had just appeared on a platter near him, and thus the feast started.   
  
Maia studied him briefly, then glanced around the table. Why did everyone look so frickin' stupid? She sighed slightly, then shot a glance over to the Gryffindor table where a red haired boy was staring at her. As soon as her eyes met his however, he ducked down, his entire face turning as red as his hair. She chuckled, and piled her plate with food. She'd not gotten anything from the witch with the cart, and now she was starving.   
  
"You amaze me. If I were you, making enemies as fast as you do, I'd be almost afraid to eat that food."   
  
She rolled her eyes at Malfoy's comment, then said softly, "I'm not surprised, but if you were me, you'd notice that you only made enemies with the slow witches and wizards of the world. Pass the butter."   
  
Glancing over to Maia and Malfoy, Snape attempted not to smile bitterly. Well, it looked as though two more of his students were getting along famously... not that this sort of thing was surprising in Slytherin.   
  
"I'm glad you and Mr. Malfoy are getting along so well, Ms. Cooper. Though I'd ask you to keep your petty quarrel to yourselves right now... unless you're looking to get detention from Professor McGonagall." And that was a very real possibility, because the gray-haired Transfiguration Professor was casting a very stern glance in the two Slytherins' direction, obviously furious that there could be trouble so soon in the school year.   
  
"Of course, sir." Maia flashed a perfect smile to Professor McGonagall, then turned her smile to Malfoy, "The butter?"   
  
Malfoy glanced at Professor Snape, then handed her the butter. "Here," he sneered.   
  
"Thank you." She passed it along the table to another of the Slytherins.   
  
Content that the two Slytherins were not going to fight, McGonagall returned to the conversation she had been having with Dumbledore.   
  
Snape, on the other hand, was not so convinced. "It may take little more than a smile to get Professor McGonagall's scrutiny to cease, but it will take more than that to stop me. I'm no fool Ms. Cooper, Mr. Malfoy... no matter what Mr. Potter might have suggested." And then he too resumed his conversation with another teacher though his black, glittering eyes never left Maia and Draco. Luckily, the feast was over quickly, and soon the students were being escorted to their rooms by their house prefects.   
  
Maia awoke the next morning and began to get dressed. She wished she hadn't been put into the Slytherin house. Malfoy was not her cup of tea and she wanted nothing else to do with him. After glancing over her schedule she frowned. Double potions with Gryffindors? Wonderful. She finished dressing, grabbed her books, and darted outside to the dining hall for breakfast, her cat on her heels.   
  
  
When she reached the dining hall, she found that most of the school was yet to arrive, but students from all years and houses were slowly filling the room just as she had. Though unfortunately for her, both Snape and Malfoy were already there when she arrived. And the blonde-haired Slytherin sneered at her appearance.   
  
"Morning, Cooper. Ready for potions? They say it's the hardest class... especially for new arrivals."   
  
"Morning, Malfoy. I know what they say, but then again... I always heard that for those who had no brain it was hard to breathe." She held a hand up experimentally to his nose, "But they must have been wrong about that, you're doing quite fine. Now if I have your pardon, I'm going to eat breakfast." Then she slipped beside him and began to pile her plate.   
  
Malfoy's eyes narrowed. "You know one day - a day like today - you're going to regret making fun of me. Especially since I'm one of the most influential people in this school, and," he paused, adding some eggs to his plate, "since you're no better than a squib." Then, without giving Maia time to comment, he slid off further down the table to sit with Crabbe and Goyle.   
  
She snickered softly, then went and sat off by herself and pulled a book from her bag to begin reading. She ate while she read, then pulled a notebook from her bag and began to scribble stuff into it as she read.   
  
Breakfast was uneventful after Malfoy's threat of revenge, and soon enough it was time for potions. Snape was there before any of the class arrived, glaring at every student who entered over a book with a faded cover. Apparently he was as thrilled about having a double of Gryffindors as they were about having him for two periods. And as most of the students found their seats, the dark-haired Potions Master lost his, standing sharply as he prepared to address the class.   
  
"For the smarter half of this class, I will warn you that this year you will not merely coast by as you have in the past. And for the more dunderheaded half, I pray you find your brains this year, or you'll find yourselves falling behind faster then you have in years previous. This year will be devastating to those who are not prepared to work, and this year I will not tolerate troublemakers." For a moment Snape paused, his gaze lingering on a certain redheaded Gryffindor in the front of his class.   
  
"Now, we'll start by reviewing what I covered last year, so you all have a chance to humiliate yourselves. Who, other than Ms. Granger, can tell me what adonis is? Mr. Malfoy perhaps?"   
  
Malfoy stammered slightly, not being used to being called on first, "I-it's a uh... a...."   
  
A sneer greeted Malfoy's answer. "A pity you don't know, Mr. Malfoy... I had hoped you did, since you seem to like this class so much. See that you know the answer to the next question, hmm?" Then turning to the only hand in the air - Hermione Granger's to be exact - Snape sighed faintly.   
  
"Perhaps you can tell us, Ms. Granger?"   
  
Returning her hand to her desk as she was called on, Hermione cleared her throat. "Adonis is used to treat irregular heart beats, though it has been used on virtually every heart condition. It's also know as Ox Eye or Pheasant's Eye and can be found in Russia, Bulgaria, or Hungary," she recited as though she had swallowed last year's potions text book.   
  
"Very good, I'm glad to see someone had done something rather than procrastinate over the holiday. And perhaps Mr. Potter can tell me what results when you mix adonis and black root together?"   
  
"Well..." He bit his lip thoughtfully, but it was obviously very distracting with Hermione's hand waving in the air like a bloody surrender flag. "It uh... creates... It creates a... er...."   
  
This time the Potion Master's twisted gaze was turned on Harry. "No surprise that you don't know Potter. A combination of adonis and black root puts the person who's unfortunate enough to drink the resulting mix into a sleep that eventually stops that heart if the victim cannot wake up from. And mind you, that's not an easy thing to do."   
  
Turning towards his desk, Snape motioned to a stack of papers there. "I want everyone to take one of these. We're done reviewing, and I'd like to get started making potions... Oh, and that's five points off of Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."   
  
Maia bit her lip as she took a paper, potions was not her best subject. She'd found that out over the summer when a few of the teachers had been catching her up to the rest of the class. Glancing over the paper she bit her lip a little harder, not noticing as a small amount of blood began to flow. Everything she probably didn't remember was on that paper.   
  
Harry was in an outrage. Five points from Gryffindor because he didn't know the answer? Malfoy hadn't known the answer and the Slytherin house hadn't lost points! He'd opened his mouth to announce this, but Ron's foot stomping his made him snap it shut and snatch a paper. Snape was the nastiest teacher in the school if you asked him.   
  
So the potion brewing began, much to Malfoy's delight. Why? Because as he glanced over the paper Snape had demanded they all pick up, he noticed something very interesting. Dragon's blood was one of the ingredients... and as everyone knew unless you were working with very small quantities, or added dried fairy wing to anything containing dragon's blood, it was very combustible. And made a perfect revenge component, as well as a potion ingredient.   
  
Reaching for the small vial of dragon's blood that awaited Malfoy at his workstation, he unstopped it and moved towards Maia slowly. If he could get close enough to her, he could pour the blood on her... and then set her robes on fire. A smile lit Draco's lips. This would be wonderful and to make it all better there was only a few more feet between him and her... and Snape wasn't looking...   
  
Maia froze under the feeling of being stared at, and she spun around quickly, to almost bump noses with Malfoy. The vial flew and time seemed to slow down as it landed on his robes instead of hers. It burst on contact and Malfoy was engulfed in flames.   
  
Malfoy screeched, both in terror at being suddenly covered in flames and at having his plan foiled. And at that moment Snape looked up, cursing himself silently for not keeping a closer watch on Draco and Maia. After all, he knew that those two were bound to make trouble in his class, and that Neville didn't need as much attention as he was paying to the Gryffindor boy.   
  
Withdrawing a wand made of the blackest wood anyone in the class had ever seen, he swiftly pointed it at Malfoy and shouted, "Ignis sicco," and immediately the flames died. Then, slipping the wand back into the folds of his robe, Snape turned to one of the other Slytherins who had turned to see what was the matter and commanded them to take Draco to the hospital wing. The Slytherin girl immediately complied, ushering Malfoy away from the dungeons.   
  
Then, Snape turned unbridled anger on Maia. "I will see you after class."   
  
"Very well, sir." Her voice was quavering with a touch of shock, and her hands shook as she worked to finish the potion she had started. She chewed her lip thoughtlessly as she finished up, trying to keep herself from shaking. After a moment, she stopped and stared into the cauldron. The look of terror at first on Malfoy's face had shaken her from her calm exterior. Maia shook her head slightly at the feel of people watching her as she resumed work on her potion.   
  
Somewhere behin her, Maia could hear snickering. "Oh, c'mmon Harry... I think Malfoy deserved it. After all the rotten things he's done to us, what's the problem with smiling a little when he gets his just desserts?"   
  
Potter frowned. "I dunno, Ron. I mean, I know he deserved it... but isn't getting set on fire a little much?"   
  
The redheaded Weasley matched his friend's frown. "You're no fun. What's a little much is Snape wanting to see the girl that did it. Bet she's in for it, cause everyone knows Snape's partial to Malfoy."   
  
"Yeah," Harry responded, turning an absent jade-eyed gaze in Maia's direction.   
  
Maia growled softly and made sure to turn around completely to face Harry and Ron so she could shoot them her most famous death glare.   
  
"If you must know," she hissed between clenched teeth, "I did not try to set him on fire. He tried to set me on fire and it backfired on him. And I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about me behind my back." She spun around again, shaking once more, this time with as-of-now-uncontrolled fury.   
  
Ron blushed, turning almost as bright as his hair and turned back to his potion. He hadn't meant to be mean, nor had he realized that he was 'talking behind her back'. It was just a pointless conversation he had been having with his best friend, and now he was feeling bad. Harry on the other hand, didn't seem as though he did, as he just continued to watch her for a moment before turning back to the work at hand.   
  
For the rest of the double period, the class was silent. And all too soon, it was time for Maia to see Snape.   
  
Maia approached his desk, "Sir? You wished to see me?"   
  
Snape's cold gaze shot over her shoulder, as he watched the last of the potions students disappear before he spoke... and it was only then that he did. "Ms. Cooper," he began, his voice low, and silky - a tone known all too well by his regular students as one he used when threatening or reprimanding - "need I remind you that using potion components, especially flammable ones, on your fellow students is a punishable offense?"   
  
"No sir." She bit her lip, how in the world was she going to tell him she didn't do it?   
  
"Good. Then would you like to tell me why you decided Mr. Malfoy needed to be set on fire? I realize you two disliked each other, but that is no excuse for your behavior."   
  
Maia shook her head. "I don't doubt that he deserved it, if you'll please forgive me for saying so, sir, but I didn't decide to catch him afire. He was going to use the vial, I assume, to put on my robes and I turned as he got too close, thus resulting in him getting a shock and him throwing the vial and it landed on him. Believe me or not sir, that's what happened," her tone of voice was one that Hermione might've used to answer a question, respectful, but at the same time demanding to be heard.   
  
For a moment the Potions Master's black gaze was on her, searching for a sign of falsehood in what Maia said. Finding none, Snape spoke again, this time his voice in its normal tone... not the low, threatening one. "I believe you Ms. Cooper, though if Mr. Malfoy tries something like that again, try not to be so clumsy when you turn to see what he's up to. My wrath is bad enough, but I wouldn't want his father's upon you." Raising both his eyebrows to see if she had anything else to say Snape was silent.   
  
"Thank you, sir, I appreciate it. If there isn't anything else you needed me for, I'm planning on leaving now." She picked up her bag and met his eyes. "Is there, sir?"   
  
"No," he responded, "you can go." Waving a hand towards the door, the dark-haired Professor's robe slid down his arm slightly and if Maia was looking, she could see a skull with a serpent running out of its mouth there. And, if the white-haired student didn't notice it, Snape certainly did, because he pulled his robe back over the odd tattoo and looked slightly shaken.   
  
Maia's eyes landed on it briefly, then she looked back up to meet his gaze. "Thank you, sir." Then she left.   
  
As she left, she ran right into Ron Weasley. "Hey, sorry, here lemme help you up." He held a hand out to her and she glared at it as though it was rabid. Knocking it out of her way, she helped herself up and shoved all of her books back into her bag.   
  
"I don't accept help from anyone. Especially not someone who talks behind other's backs."   
  
"I wanted to apologize..."   
  
"Well you have, so I'm leaving now." She spun on her heel and stormed off to her next class.   
  
And that next class happened to be divinations. Their professor - who was supposed to be Professor Trelawney - hadn't arrived yet, though the weird crimson glow the entire room possessed, down to the pink-rimmed teacups managed to keep the class silent enough. Well... except for three loud Slytherins in the back, which happened to be Malfoy - apparently cured of all his injuries from the class before - and his goons.   
  
"You know Crabbe, I hear the teacher predicts that one student in one of her classes per year is going to die. I do hope it's not perfect little Ms. Cooper. No, it couldn't be her, could it?" Goyle and Crabbe shook their heads at their leader's verbal prompting, and then Malfoy continued, "But then again, bad things happen to people who set their classmates on fire, right?" This time the pair of Slytherin goons nodded.   
  
"Well, at least some of us are lucky enough to survive nasty pranks like that..."   
  
Maia seated herself away from everyone else and the teacher suddenly stepped forward from the shadows.   
  
"How nice it is to see you in the real world for a change my class..." Her voice was faraway and misty, like everything else about her, it seemed to be preoccupied. She motioned around toward the tables. "Sit, my children, sit..."   
  
Maia studied her, then caught the wicked glint in Malfoy's eyes. It bothered her slightly, but she wasn't going to let him, or anyone else know that.   
  
"Welcome to divinations," she said softly, taking a seat at the huge, winged armchair that sat at the head of the room. "For those of you who don't know me, I am Professor Trelawney. And if you do know me, I am surprised... because I tend to keep out of the normal hustle and bustle of every day life, because I find it clouds my inner eye." The wiry woman paused here, hoping for a reaction to her statement, and when she got none, she continued.   
  
"So you have chosen to study divinations, the most difficult of magical arts. I must warn you that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. But if you do, I will help you pierce the veil that clouds the future." Again, she paused, this time to look over the class from behind her huge glasses, and her gaze stopped on Maia. "You there, do you plan to go home for the Holidays?"   
  
Maia stifled a giggle, some Divinations teachers. "What home? I don't have one."   
  
"Ah," Trelawney responded, "I figured as much... but had you said yes, I would have warned you that great, and terrible things await you here during the Holidays." Then, she returned to addressing the entire class instead of just Maia. "We will be covering the basic methods of divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading tea leaves, and the second shall be devoted to crystal balls... assuming that we finish our unit on pyromancy of course. And for the first time in years, this class won't be delayed by the flu... but one among the faculty will leave us in early January... A pity too."   
  
Another lengthy pause, and then she said, "I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I shall fill it. Then sit down and drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times, and then turn the cup upside down unto the saucer. Then give them to your partner to read. You will interpret what you see using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future, while I move about the room to help you. Now, if someone will bring me that teapot, we'll begin."   
  
Maia stood to get a cup, when suddenly a red-haired boy showed up beside her.   
  
He held a blue cup out to her and smiled slightly. "If you aren't too angry with me, would you partner with me?"   
  
She blinked. This was the first time she'd ever had someone offer to be her partner in anything. Slowly she nodded, still a little numb in shock. She sat back down, and Professor Trelawney began to pour the hot liquid in her cup. She did as told, then switched saucers with him.   
  
"Hey," she suddenly realized, "I don't know your name..."   
  
"Ron... Ron Weasley." He blushed when he said his last name and she grinned.   
  
"I'm not mad at you... I just was in shock over nearly getting set on fire by Malfoy earlier. I'm Maia Cooper." She extended her hand, then set to work on deciphering the soggy tea leaves.   
  
The redheaded Weasley offered her a smile and took her hand in his for a firm handshake. "S'no problem. I think anyone would be a little upset if Malfoy had tried to set them on fire. So you're new here, right?" he asked, as he leaned over the cup, to try to get a good idea of what it meant.   
  
"Yeah. Brand new. Unfortunately, I got stuck in Slytherin. The only good thing about that is that Professor Snape is the head of the house. He's a genius." She smiled, then pointed. "Alright, this here means you'll be finding unexpected wealth, mind you it may not be money, and here it says you'll be content, but then it's interrupted by this sign here, which means sudden departure, so whatever made you happy shall leave... And that's all I see in this cup." She looked up to meet his amazed expression.   
  
"You didn't use the book to decode them..."   
  
"The women at the orphanage I live in were fond of Divination, they taught me how to read palms, read tea leaves, and interpret dreams. But I failed when it came to crystal gazing."   
  
"Wow. That's more then I know, and my father's part of the Ministry of Magic." Grinning sheepishly, he looked over the book that was required for the class and then back at Maia's tea leaves. "I think I'd better stick to the book. So," he began, pointing at the largest collection of leaves on the saucer, "this one means good fortune coming your way, I think. But then this shows that something bad's going to come along to take it away."   
  
Ron frowned. "That doesn't sound very good."   
  
"That's because it isn't correct, Mr. Weasley." And suddenly, Professor Trelawney was standing behind them. "This one here is the falcon, it means that she's going to make herself a powerful enemy. But this one here," a long finger pointed at a sword-shaped mound, "means she's going to have a couple of strong people to back her up if and when she's destine to face him. And this one means that one of those friends is going to lose his or her life along the way."   
  
Trelawney's expression matched Ron's. "Well, your future doesn't seem to be very happy, Ms. Cooper. Let's hope I've read them wrong, hmm?"   
  
"I most certainly hope so too, which you must have, all respect due, Professor, because I don't plan on making any friends. Anyone who gets close to me dies, everyone who knows me knows that." Her voice was matter of fact.   
  
"Why don't you read it?" Ron suggested, but was silenced at the look of pure horror crossing both Maia and the professor's face.   
  
"Nonsense, Weasley. If one tries to interpret one's own cup... Who knows what may befall them..." Maia's voice was strangely not her own, then she slipped back into suit. "Sorry, but you must know no one can ever read their own cup...." She trailed off, then the crash off china and Professor Trelawney moved away, to help Neville clean up his broken cup.   
  
Ron shrugged. "I wouldn't know - I've never been good at this sort of stuff. But do you think Trelawney was right? I mean your fate sounds more like Harry's than something that could happen to you..."   
  
Maia giggled softly. "I'm used to it. It's no big deal." Her tone of voice indicated she clearly didn't want to be speaking of that incident any more and suddenly, they heard Professor Trelawney's gasp.   
  
"My dear boy... You have the Grim!"   
  
"The what?"   
  
"The Grim, my boy, the Grim! The sign of utmost death!" Maia frowned, then stood to walk over where the group was gathering. Leaning over she looked at the saucer, but said nothing.   
  
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "And I'm supposed to believe that? Someone told me that you predict the death of a student a year, and so far no one's died." And although the young Slytherin attempted to sound brave there was definite fear in his voice.   
  
Trelawney, however, seemed unconvinced. "I have more ability to See then you do, boy. If I see the Grim, I'd fear for your life."   
  
"It doesn't look like a full Grim to me. It only looks like a brush with death. You know, the Dark God tapping him on his shoulder... Sorry, Harry, you won't get out of homework anytime soon." Maia straightened her robes, and smiled warmly, "Though I doubt you've had enough with death encounters, eh?"   
  
Harry smiled faintly, but said nothing. It was true that he had almost lost his life several times at the magical school - all due to Lord Voldemort - but he wasn't looking to brush with death again any time soon. Though apparently fate wanted him to, and at that thought he felt extremely uneasy.   
  
Maia gave him a light, teasing slap on the back, "Buck up, Harry. I'm sure that if you do get killed that you won't have to worry about your homework."   
  
"Yeah," the jade-eyed thirteen-year old muttered. Before he could ponder his death... or not quite death any further, the bell rang signifying the end of the period. And as everyone shuffled out of the room, she called to Harry and Maia telling them to mind the warnings in their tea cups.   
  
Maia rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Harry. Ron swears up and down I have a Grim too, so at least you won't be the only one to die this year." She snickered. "Maybe we could both try to set fire to Malfoy again, the look on his face was priceless, right? I love to see revenges gone bad." She walked off at a much quicker pace and soon left them behind as she headed for lunch.   
  
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	2. Danger Reveals Itself

Book Three-The White Haired Prophecy  
By Fuujin Kushikaze, Death's Angel  
Beta Read by Katameran  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Disclaimers: I do not own Harry Potter.  
  
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As Maia entered the lunch room, the first thing she saw was a rather frantic Snape talking to a worried looking Dumbledore. What they were discussing she couldn't tell, because they were at the other side of the room. But one thing was for certain: it didn't look good.   
  
She studied them, then briefly wondered what on earth they were talking about. She pushed it from her mind to the best of her ability, telling herself it was none of her business, but as she sat down, she couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the strange tattoo he had.   
  
The conversation continued on for several more moments, ending with both Snape and Dumbledore casting a curious glance at Maia and then exchanging several more words. Then, the two teachers took their places at the faculty table, and lunch began. Though throughout the meal both men returned their gaze to her for a second before tearing it away.   
  
She shifted a bit uncomfortably under their gazes. She didn't like people taking an interest in her or her affairs. She finished her lunch quickly, then managed to slip out of the room and started toward the Slytherin common room. She still had almost an hour, since she ate rather light lunches she didn't spend much time in the dining hall.   
  
Though as she entered things became a little more clear as to why they had been staring at her.   
  
Painted in blazing green letters above the fireplace in the Slytherin common room was, "Enemies of the heir, beware. The Dark Lord returns." And strangely enough, there was no one in the room who could have put that there...   
  
She froze in place, before opening her mouth to scream. Just in time she caught herself, and she turned tail and fled. Running back into the dining room, she touched Professor Snape on the shoulder. "P-professor.... The... the common room..." She couldn't talk to well, breathing as heavy as she was, and she was shaking. It had truly scared her.   
  
A raised eyebrow was the only response she received from Snape for a second. Then finally, he asked, "What about it, Ms. Cooper?"   
  
She tried to catch her breath, then she looked him in the eyes. "Professor Snape, in the common room, above the fireplace, there... it says 'enemies to the heir beware.' ... 'The Dark Lord returns.' Sir, there was no one in there." A scream from the common room shook her from her thoughts.   
  
His black eyes flashed wildly in the direction of the scream, and he stood. Casting a quick glance at the snowy-haired headmaster, he returned his attention to Maia. "I suggest you take me there, Ms. Cooper, and show me where it is. There is more than one fireplace in the common room, and I doubt I have time to search them all."   
  
She nodded, then led him back to the common room. It turned out to be another girl in the common room, she was shaking and had a hand over her mouth. The green letters had turned blood red and was dripping though nothing was on the tiles in front of it.   
  
"I see," Snape replied, the expression in his eyes a cold sort of determination. "I'll send Filch around to clean it up." He turned on his heels to exit the common room, his cloak billowing due to his rapid motion, but as he got close to the door he paused.   
  
"Tell me, Ms. Cooper. What do you know about Voldemort?"   
  
Maia looked up. "Voldemort? ..." She bit her lip, thinking, "Wasn't he the one that killed Harry's parents?" She bit her lip a little more.   
  
A nod. "And is that all you know?"   
  
She nodded, "Yes, I'm sorry. But... Should I know more?"   
  
"I don't believe so. Not yet, anyway." The was a pause that seemed to span years and he finally said, "Ms. Cooper, will you follow me to my office - I think there's something we must discuss."   
  
She followed, wringing her hands a bit nervously. Snape scared her slightly. Not really fear as in breaking out in sweat and just dreading him, but the air that hung around him... That was what scared her more than anything.   
  
Entering his office swiftly, the door slammed behind Maia as followed him in. Then, the Potions Master took a seat in the chair opposite the door, and he motioned for Maia to do the same. "Please, sit. I have no idea how long this is going to take."   
  
She did so, then glanced at her watch. "Sir, you will write me a note if I am late for my next class though, correct?"   
  
Snape nodded. "Of course, because this is far more important than some silly lesson. Now, how much have you heard about the circumstances of Potter's parents unfortunate demise?"   
  
She cocked her head to one side. "Voldemort showed up at their home and killed them one night. Harry escaped with his life because his mother had given hers to save him."   
  
"Correct. And you realize that to kill any witch or wizard, Voldemort had to have followers, right?" he questioned, leaning onto his desk, and watching her like the crow he so much resembled.   
  
She nodded. "Of course. I don't know what they were called though."   
  
A sardonic smile graced Snape's lips. "Death-Eaters. And each of them was given a special mark, his mark to ensure loyalty. Because with this mark he could call one of his Death-Eaters to him at any given time, and therefore dish out rewards... or great suffering. Do you have any idea what the dark mark looks like, Ms. Cooper?"   
  
"I have no-" She suddenly realized what he was talking about. "Oh Dark Goddess.... A skull with a serpent in its mouth..." Her voice was soft, and her body was as though on auto-pilot. She couldn't understand what she was saying as a million thoughts raced through her brain.   
  
Snape looked genuinely impressed. "Right in one. Now tell me, do you believe the divination is reliable?"   
  
"To an extent. Not to be used to give exact dates but yes, to an extent." She didn't realize she was talking at all.   
  
"Then you would believe in prophecies? Not the years they are said to happen, persay, but the fact that they will eventually happen?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
The Potions Master nodded resolutely. "Then allow me to tell you this. It was once foretold that a girl with no mother and father would come to Hogwarts. She would be sorted into the vilest of Houses - Slytherin -, and bring the dark House into the light with her deed. It is said, however that to do so, she must fight a monster of lies and trickery - Lord Voldemort - but she cannot do so alone. To defeat him, she must join forces with a brave child with the mark of the monster, and a man who once worked for him. Both Dumbledore and I agree that this prophecy is coming to a head..." He trailed off suddenly, allowing her to make her own conclusion.   
  
"Harry's the one with the mark, you once worked for him, ... and I'm the one with no mother or father?" She raised an eyebrow. "It all fits perfectly... But... Me? I beg your pardon, sir, but I'm not the best of witches... I mean.... I could never fight with Lord Voldemort... I'd be killed within only a few moments..."   
  
Snape shrugged, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers. "Certain things fall together as they do for a reason. And," he paused for a moment, looking mildly suspicious, "what makes you think I used to work for Lord Voldemort?"   
  
She shrugged. "The tattoo thing, am I wrong? I assumed you were a spy for Dumbledore..." She looked up, her eyes wide and innocent.   
  
"You're right," he replied, a hint of sadness in his voice. "And I doubt that with a quick mind like that, that Voldemort would find you to easy to get rid of."   
  
She blinked. "I thank you sir, but I'm not that quick..."   
  
Snape raised a single eyebrow gently. "You give yourself far less credit then the truth demands. However, quick or not, Dumbledore and I are not going to let the girl mentioned in the prophecy slip through our fingers. And as such, you will learn to defeat Voldemort... if you are willing. I warn you now, it will not be an easy road."   
  
She smiled slightly, a smile that was not a happy one. "I really have no choice, now do I? I can't abandon my house, I have to bring a little fame to it."   
  
"Everyone has a choice," he stated, his voice raising slightly.   
  
Maia shook her head. "Not always. I may as well do this anyway… if I pose any sort of threat at all, he'll come after me, so I have to know how to fight him."   
  
"Excellent. We'll start training tomorrow if you're ready... and perhaps I can coax Potter down to join us." At the mention of that, Snape didn't look too happy, because everyone knew he hated Harry Potter. But what the Potions Master hated more was Voldemort, and in this case it simply came down to who he hated more.   
  
She nodded. "Thank you, sir, now may I have a note for my next class?" Her mask had slid back into place, and now it was locked in with pure determination.   
  
Pulling a piece of parchment out of his desk, he quickly scribbled a note down, and then handed it to her. "Here you are Ms. Cooper."   
  
"Thank you, sir." She took the note from him and turned to leave. "Sir," she suddenly called out, not turning to look at him. "Is Voldemort really as powerful as they say?"   
  
Snape locked eyes with her, his glistening black ones showing something that came as close to fear as the Potions Master at Hogwarts knew how to come. "More."   
  
She closed her eyes slowly, and then shook her head. "Thank you, sir... I have one more question... But it can wait." She walked out, and broke into a run. She didn't stop until she was right outside Professor McGonagall's door. She stood until she had caught her breath, then walked in. She ignored the looks she got from her classmates, and handed Professor McGonagall the note.   
  
"Professor Snape wished to see me, ma'am."   
  
McGonagall took the note and gazed at it skeptically over her square-rimmed glasses for a moment. Then she returned her gaze to Maia. "All right, Ms. Cooper, take your seat. I was just about to show the class my transformation."   
  
She nodded, then took a seat near to Ron. He gave her a worried glance, but she ignored it. Maia had no idea what was happening, all she heard was the conversation she had had with Professor Snape repeating in her head.   
  
Transfigurations - aside from Professor McGonagall's transformation - was rather boring. It happened to be a focused lecture on animagi, and no one was really listening. Especially not Ron, who kept shooting worried glances in Maia's direction; he was terrified that Snape had said something to her that was far from pleasant from the far off look she was wearing. Finally, the bell that sounded the end of the period rang, and the redheaded Weasley boy walked over to Maia.   
  
"Is there something wrong?" he asked, his brow furrowed in a concerned expression. "I mean, after lunch you and Snape rushed off... and I heard a scream, and..." Ron's voice trailed off nervously.   
  
Maia shook her head. "No, someone was playing a prank in the Slytherin common room, Snape just wanted to know if I had any idea who had done it." She smiled.   
  
"Sounds like one heck of a prank," he muttered, knowing all too well that something like that would probably happen in the Slytherin common room. And that Snape probably would have freaked out about it, all but expelling anyone who was involved. Shrugging it off, he smiled back at her - no reason to be rude about the Slytherin house, after all Maia had thus far proved that all students from the serpent house weren't bad.   
  
"So what do you have next? Anything? My schedule's free for the rest of the day... well until midnight that is." Ron's smile faded back into a frown - it was Wednesday, and that meant astrology at midnight in one of the school's higher towers. And if there was one thing he hated, it was the late night lessons that he had to struggle to stay awake through.   
  
Maia pulled her schedule from her bag. "No, nothing but Astronomy at midnight." She smiled at him. "So, what you planning on doing for the rest of the day? Tell me you aren't one of those who go and sit in the common room until next class."   
  
Ron grinned. "Are you kidding me? No way. I've got better things to do then sit around and do nothing." He paused, blushing from head to toe suddenly. "What those better things are, I don't know right now, but... How about you?"   
  
Maia giggled softly at his blush. "Well, for starters, how about we go and drop off our bags, then you can give me the grand tour? I mean, it's not exactly a good thing for a third year not to know the lay of the castle."   
  
"Sounds like a plan," he agreed, eagerly moving towards the door of the class room.   
  
"I'll meet you over near the dining hall, okay?"   
  
"See you then." And with that, the redheaded boy slipped out of the room, excited.   
  
Maia grinned as she slipped off down the hall, ignoring the glare Malfoy had shot her. She walked down to the common room and into the girls' side of the dorms. She dropped her bag on her bed and took a sip of the water in the glass on her nightstand. It was a fresh as it had been earlier, and she downed the glass.   
  
Suddenly her head began to swim. Maia frowned as colors began to float in front of her. She had to get to Madame Pomfrey, she had to. Stumbling, she fell, and her eyes slid shut. She fought it all as long as she could, then she yelped, and passed out.   
  
Her cat sat on her bed watching her, a strange gleam in its eyes.   
  
Half an hour later, Ron waited in the dining hall for Maia. Thus far he had been there for nearly fifteen minutes, and she hadn't come. And he was beginning to feel like he had been stood up, even though it hadn't been a date. For a moment or two more, he lingered in the empty hall, and then he headed back in the direction of the Gryffindor common room feeling rather put out.   
  
"Guess Slytherins are all like they say," he muttered, staring at the ground as he moved along the more or less deserted halls.   
  
"And what do they say Slytherins are like, Mr. Weasley?" a voice demanded, sharp and sarcastic as they cut through his thoughts. And as Ron looked up, he immediately regretted waking up this morning even more then he had when he realized Maia had stood him up. Oh damn. It was Snape, and the greasy-haired Potions Master had heard what he had said.   
  
"Uh... I didn't mean it, sir," Ron said, praying that Snape wouldn't deduct points from his house.   
  
"I'm sure you didn't Mr. Weasley - and that's five points from Gryffindor." Ron looked furious, but before he could say or do anything that would lose him further points, a girl he recognized as a Slytherin came running down the hall, fear on her face.   
  
"Professor Snape!" she cried as she reached them. "Professor, it's Maia."   
  
"What about her, Ms. Fiori?" he asked, his brows arched in what Ron could have sworn was concern. And come to think of it, Ron's own face was one of concern; so there was something wrong with Maia? Maybe that's why she hadn't shown up...   
  
"She... she won't wake up, sir. I went in to our room after Professor McGonagall's class, and found her sprawled on the floor of our room. I shook her and she wouldn't wake up... I think there's something wrong with her..."   
  
Snape's features hardened over suddenly. "Take me to your room, Ms. Fiori."   
  
Fiori nodded, and began to run back to the Slytherin common room. The group had begun to form in the common room and she had to shove her way to the room. Finally, she made it, and she pointed. The other two girls were standing, looking utterly helpless.   
  
"She was like this when we all walked in. We've managed to keep all the other girls out of here though."   
  
"Out of the way," Snape barked, shooting sharp glances at both the girls. Then, without further words, the Potions Master knelt beside Maia and studied her for a moment. And then he noticed the water glass that had fallen near her head. Picking it up gingerly, the dark-haired male lifted it to his nose and sniffed it.   
  
For a moment, distant confusion registered on Snape's face and then his eyes went wide with shock. The glass had the faintest scent of cinnamon to it, and of all the herbs the Potions Master knew that smelt like cinnamon, only one could do what looked like had happened. Reaching forward, he gently peeled back one of her eyelids, and his suspicion was confirmed. She had been poisoned with the very thing he had taken points off of Gryffindor for Potter answering wrong - a mix of black root and Adonis.   
  
Dipping a hand into the folds of his cloak, he removed a vial of black liquid and forced it down Maia's lips. Then, turning to the blonde-haired Slytherin who had come to find him, he said, "If her breathing starts to slow, come and find me immediately. I'll be back as soon as I can." Then, Snape stood sharply, and glided out of the room.   
  
Fiori nodded, and turned to the other two girls. "Hey, you two watch her okay? I'll be back." She slipped out after Snape, and ran to find Ron Weasley. She had seen the concerned look on his face when she'd told Professor Snape about Maia.  
  
And as it turned out, Ron was lurking near the concealed entrance to the Slytherin common room when Fiori exited. Having been in there once disguised as one of Malfoy's goons, the redheaded boy had a good idea where the entrance was. But since he didn't hang out with the Slytherins on a regular basis, he wasn't quite sure where it was.   
  
Noticing Fiori he shouted, "Hey! What happened to Maia?"   
  
She shook her head. "We don't know. Professor Snape told us to watch her until he gets back, and if her breathing slows, to come get him immediately. But, from the look on his face, I think she was poisoned."   
  
Poisoned? Ron's expression turned dark. "Ten galleons says Malfoy did it," he muttered, knowing all too well that the Slytherin boy and Maia hadn't exactly gotten around. "Think she'll be ok?"   
  
Fiori nodded. "Yes. I think so; Professor Snape went to get the antidote probably. And Malfoy couldn't have done it, because of the lock on the girls' side of the dorm. The painting won't let boys in. And her cat was the only one in the room though."   
  
"Well, if it wasn't Malfoy, who do you think it was then?" he asked, his voice edging on pointed. "I don't know anyone besides Malfoy who would want her dead..."   
  
Fiori shook her head. "I don't know. She's really nice and sweet." She shrugged. "Professor Snape'll find out though. He's partial to anyone in Slytherin."   
  
Ron was about to mutter something less than nice about Snape when the Potions Master came sweeping around the corner. Pausing, he eyed the redheaded Weasley boy coldly for a moment, and then continued over to the dungeon wall, which concealed the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Then whispering the phrase that allowed admittance to anyone knowing it, he slid gracefully into the wall which had opened to reveal a door.   
  
And as he passed, Ron returned the nasty glance. "I hope so."   
  
Leimomi checked Maia's pulse again. She didn't want anything to happen to her. A sudden chill cast over her and she stood. "Professor Snape. She's remained stable since you left."   
  
Snape nodded. "Thank you Ms. Leimomi, I'll handle it from here." Waving her away, the dark-haired Professor knelt beside Maia's fallen form once more. And as he had before, he reached into the folds of his robe and removed a small vial, this one the faintest blue where the last had been black. Uncorking it, he poured the contents down her throat, and waited.   
  
If her condition was as good as she appeared, she'd be waking up any moment now... And he already had a headful of questions he wanted to ask her.   
  
Her eyelids fluttered gently, and she sneezed. "Bless me." Sitting up slowly, she became aware that she was on the floor. "Oh no... I didn't meet Ron!!" She attempted to stand, only for her legs to give out under her. "What happened?" She noticed professor Snape and frowned. "What did I do wrong this time?"   
  
What could only be called a flicker of a smile touched Snape's lips for an instant. "Well, if you are capable of poisoning yourself, I think I'd be so pleased that a third year could concoct such a advanced potion that I'd forget to punish you. However, since I don't think that's possible - and since I doubt you're stupid enough to poison yourself - I'd say you did nothing wrong." Standing sharply, he offered her a hand to help her up, his eyes going back to their usual cruel expression as he thought.   
  
"Though, Ms. Cooper, someone here -is- in quite a bit of trouble."   
  
Maia gripped his hand and pulled herself up slowly. "Great, just my luck. What a first day." She sighed, and after she could stand without her head swimming, she looked up at him. "So... What do you want to ask me?"   
  
Snape arched his eyebrows at the question. "I thought you'd know what I wanted to know, Ms. Cooper. But since you apparently don't, I'll make it clear. Do you know who did this to you? Or who would attempt to?"   
  
Maia shook her head. "At first I'd say Malfoy, but I don't think he could've made a potion if it is, as you say, advanced magic." She bit her lip thoughtfully. "And it must not have been a boy... They couldn't have gotten in here..." Finally, she slowly shook her head. "No."   
  
A frown edging on a sneer touched the Potion Master's face. "Was there anyone in the room with you when you drank the glass that had been laced with poison?"   
  
Maia sighed. "No! There wasn't. Don't get angry with me. There was no one here but Slash."   
  
"I'm not angry with you, Ms. Cooper," Snape responded, trying his hardest to keep the malice out of his voice. True, he was angry, but it was simply due to the fact that his mind - one of the sharpest in all of Hogwarts - was failing him miserably. And the only time he could remember that happening before was when Dumbledore talked him out of Voldemort's service, and into the job of a double agent.   
  
Letting out a harsh sigh, he asked, "Who is Slash?"   
  
Maia pointed at the small silver back tabby sitting on her bed. "That's Slash."   
  
Snape nodded, a careful eye trained on the cat. "Well, I doubt very highly that a simple house cat could have poisoned you. Though," pausing in mid-sentence, his glistening eyes narrowed on the animal, "we have had problems with unregistered animagi and the like before." This time the Potion Master's face split into an all-out sneer, as he remembered when he had caught James Potter and his group of friends transforming to go run around with their werewolf companion. And the thought still sickened him.   
  
Turning back to Maia, he attempted to push his bitter thoughts aside, and said softly, "You're quite lucky Ms. Fiori found you."   
  
She nodded, then turned to Fiori, "Thank you for finding me." Then she turned back to Professor Snape. "Is there anything else you wanted to speak with me about?"   
  
There was a moment of silence and finally the Professor shook his head, his greasy black locks bobbing about his face as he did. "No, Ms. Cooper. I believe we're through. You can return to your room, or do whatever you were going to before you so rudely passed out. Though I daresay you could be cautious about what you eat or drink from now on - it seems someone isn't too fond of you."   
  
Turning, the Potions Master slid from the room, leaving the three Slytherin girls - Cooper, Fiori, and Leimomi - alone in the room.   
  
Maia frowned as she remembered something Malfoy had told her, 'You amaze me. If I were you, making enemies as fast as you do, I'd be almost afraid to eat that food.' She shook her head. He was not trying to kill her.   
  
Suddenly, she ran from the room and sprinted outside the portrait hole in the wall. "Ron? Are you out here?"   
  
In the time between when Snape had returned with the antidote for Maia and now, Ron had taken a seat on the floor of the dungeon, near the entrance to the Slytherin common room. He had been expecting the Slytherin girl to come looking for him after she had recovered - assuming she did - and he had obviously been right. And when she called for him, his eyes immediately snapped up from the floor to meet hers.   
  
"Maia! You're all right," he stated dumbly, pushing himself up from the floor with one hand. "Karen Fiori told me you had been poisoned."   
  
Maia nodded. "Yes. You remember that question Snape asked Harry in class and Harry lost five points for not knowing? It was that potion." She suddenly threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I'm so sorry for getting poisoned like that..." She leaned back, blushing furiously.   
  
Ron too found himself blushing. "What are you sorry for? It's not like you went into Snape's closet, pulled out the most lethal thing you could think of and drank it." At the end of the Weasley boy's statement there was a second or two of silence, and then after a sharp inhale Ron asked, "Are you still up for the tour of the school?"   
  
Maia smiled. "Why not?"   
  
And so it began.   
  
Ron spent the better part of the day leading the white-haired Slytherin girl about the ancient castle. Every now and then, he'd stop and point out something that he remembered Hermione telling him she read in 'Hogwarts: A History' or something about the castle he had learned to avoid from personal experience. And on rare occasion, he told her about one adventure or another he and Harry had gotten into that was related to a certain spot on the tour route. Though he kept the latter to a minimum, still unsure as to how she would react to mentioning of the famous Potter boy.   
  
Finally, the tour ended just outside of the dining hall somewhere close to dinner. "And there you have it," he said beaming, as though his tour was a major accomplishment. "I hope I helped."   
  
Maia giggled, then hugged him again. "Yes... you were a great help." She hesitated, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and darted into the dining hall, blushing hotly.   
  
For a moment afterwards, Ron did not follow. Instead, he stood in the hallway looking rather lovesick, and he probably would have stayed that way if it wasn't for a voice behind him. One he wasn't happy to hear - Snape's.   
  
"Well, Mr. Weasley? Are you going to stand there all night, or do you intend on taking dinner like the rest of us." The Potion Master's gaze lingered on Ron's back for a moment, as the redheaded boy was too terrified to move, and then he swept past him and into the dining room.  
  
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